


A New Experience

by lillpon



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family, Gen, Mentions of Mental Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 22:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillpon/pseuds/lillpon
Summary: Killian makes a re-imagining of a storm in the tower for Alice.





	A New Experience

Thank the gods, it’s raining.

He never thought he’d be happy to see a storm brew and rage right next to him. But now, with the limited water supply and the protection of his home… and the storm giving him another incentive to not leave, it looks like a blessing.

He places the bucket under the pipe that connects with the roof, collecting the rain water. He puts his hand under the flowing water and feels the hair on his arm stick up from the cold. It’s definitely the good kind of cold, though.

He turns to the window, where Alice is sitting, way too close for his taste. He knows, damn it, that the bloody force field won’t allow her to fall, but seeing her so close to it always brings up a fear inside.

“You’re gonna get wet,” he says.

“Aye,” she replies simply without moving, even though he can see the droplets coming through and wetting the wood around her.

Oh. Bad day.

Drying his hand on a towel, he walks close to her and rubs softly at her shoulder. She still doesn’t turn. She’s looking at the storm outside, her expression blank. He clenches his jaw and simply leans in and leaves a kiss on her head.

He turns around and lets her be.

The storm only lasts for a few minutes; at sea, that would have been enough for quite a damage, but he’s grown used to the safety of the tower. When, after a while, the clouds drift away and the sun shines again, Alice stands from her seat, picks up the string she threw away earlier and starts playing with her fingers. Her expression has a slightly sad shade now.

“Hey,” Killian says softly, approaching her. “Do you want to play something with me?”

Alice merely shakes her head, as she spins the string around her fingers.

“Do you want to dance? We can sing together.”

Another shake of her head.

He really doesn’t want to pressure her. She’s having a bad day, and he wants desperately to lift her spirits but has no idea how. He knows that she only wants to feel the rain. But how can he help her now?

He’s tried to recreate phenomena before. He once made small holes on a bowl and placed it on top of a candle, making star-like shapes appear on their ceiling. Another time he reorganized the whole room to feel like they’re on the Jolly Roger.

Perhaps he can make a re-imagining of a storm in here, and at that thought he remembers a musical instrument he encountered on his travels, one that looked particularly peculiar to him; it looked like a thin, wide drum, but whenever it moved, he heard tiny metal balls move inside it.

“What is that supposed to do?” he asked, confused.

“It makes the sound of waves!” the owner said, enthused.

At the time, he almost laughed. In his ears, it barely mimicked the sound; and why would anyone want to recreate that sound? All they’d need to do was simply walk to a shoreline.

Going back to the present, he can now imagine why people were inspired to make such an instrument.

He puts Alice to sleep early that night; he leaves immediately after she falls asleep, running to the woodsmith as fast as he could. The man isn’t pleased to be dragged out of his sleep either, but Killian’s gold is enough incentive; as it is for the currier.

The next night, he leaves again to retrieve his custom-made drum. He smiles broadly once he touches it and moves it around; he indeed missed the sound of the waves, enough to be convinced by the sound the drum makes. Alice will be excited.

The next morning, as sunny and warm as it gets, Alice’s mood hasn’t gotten any better. He knows that sometimes her bad days take longer to go away.

At least she’s still eating. He doesn’t know why, but he feels relieved at that.

“Do you want to try something with me?” he asks her once they finished their breakfast.

She nods indifferently. They always do something after breakfast; he’s trying hard to keep her schedule as full of activities as possible, since boredom is very common to settle in such a place. And after boredom, comes anxiety and stress…

He sits her down on the chair and gives her a scarf.

“I want you to cover your eyes with that,” he says.

“Why?”

He makes a face. “Because I want you to focus on your other senses! Remember what they are?”

She purses her lips as she thinks. “Smell, hearing, taste and… to-, ta-”

“Touch.”

“Touch, yes.” She smiles a little. “But I’ll keep my eyes closed!”

“Hmm-mm. You might be tempted to open them, though. If you don’t feel alright, you can take it off anytime.”

“Yes, papa.” She ties the scarf around her eyes and sits back on the chair.

“Now I want you to start patting your thighs softly with your palms.”

She does as she’s told.

“Go faster when I tell you to,” he adds as he silently stands up and picks up the drum and the bowl filled with salted water. He makes sure the small table is empty and next to him as he sits, and he turns to her. “Go faster,” he says and moves the drum.

“Oh!” she says joyfully, stopping her patting. “What is that?”

“Keep up, Starfish. We’re aboard the Jolly Roger now, and it’s raining slightly. You hear the sound of the rain dropping on the deck as the ship moves gently beneath you,” he says and puts his feet under her chair and lifts slightly on one side, then lowers, and repeats.

She exclaims joyfully again, but keeps up on her rhythm.

“The waves are still calm, there’s nothing to worry about, but you feel the rain on you.” He dips his hook on the bowl and splashes a few drops on her. Her giggle warms his heart, and he continues. “It’s going on for a little while, but then the rain grows stronger!”

Immediately, Alice speeds up.

“The wind is also stronger, making the ship sway more.” He now lifts the chair higher. “You’re on the rail, just came down from the crow’s nest where you watched for enemy ships, and it sways even more! The waves are stronger, and a few drops reach you.” He moves the drum faster and splashes her a little more, a few drops reaching her lips.

She licks them. “Salty!” she says, smiling wide.

“You have to get inboard, or the waves may drag you in! The rain is so strong now!” Alice speeds up as he moves the drum even faster. “But as you turn to run, you see a flash! The thunder sounds almost immediately,” he says and pushes the table with his hook, making it drop on its side.

“The storm’s upon us!” Alice says excitedly. “I run to the main mast!”

“More water reaches you,” he says and splashes her again as she giggles, “but you make it there. You tie a rope around your waist and hold on to it tight.”

It’s a bit tiring, but he keeps rocking her chair with his feet, moving the drum fast and splashing her, as she pats on her thighs.

“But as fast as it came, it leaves. The ship rocks calmly now, and the waves stop splashing you.” He moves the chair more gently now. “Soon, the rain stops, and the sun comes out. Another storm we survived!” he says, and she stops patting on her thighs. “The waves are calm, and the rocking is as calm as ever.” The drum moves slowly now, and he feels almost each pebble as it moves above his fingers.

When he finally stops rocking her and puts the drum down, she takes the scarf off.

Her eyes are red and full of tears, but she’s smiling wide. He smiles back and she jumps from her chair, climbing on him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Thank you, papa.”

He hugs her back, guiding her to sit down on his lap and he kisses her hair.

He’ll never wish she happens upon a storm when sailing -  _when_  she’ll go sailing - but he’s happy she got to feel something new.

**Author's Note:**

> That instrument Killian found and then asked to be made actually exists. It's called Ocean Drum.


End file.
